What Causes Same-sex
Attraction?

Same-sex attraction is the result of a complex interaction of
personality, biological inheritance, and developmental experiences.

People do not choose to have same-sex feelings. These attractions
usually develop because social and emotional needs were not met in the
developmental years.

Men do not develop same-sex attraction because they are afraid of women.
Women do not develop same-sex attraction because they are afraid of men. In
reality, relationships with the opposite sex usually have little to do with
same-sex attraction; instead, they have to do with relationships with the same
sex.

Many factors contribute to the development of homosexual attractions. In
answer to the question "What causes a person to have a particular sexual orientation?",
the website for the
American Psychological Association states the following: "There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation."

Dr.
Elizabeth Moberly, author of Homosexuality: A New Christian Ethic,
explained, "[M]any things are capable of causing the disruption in attachment
that underlies the homosexual condition. It is not a question of one particular
cause leading of necessity to one particular effect." (Moberly, p. 3)

It is
difficult to develop theories about the origins of homosexual attractions
because no single theory fits every situation. Although there are some
commonalities among people, there are no constants. Factors are different from
person to person, or at least individual reactions to the same factors vary.
Humans are complex beings and our behaviors are the result of many complex
interactions. (Archives, pp. 399-404) This section discusses how personality, biological
inheritance, and developmental experiences influence you. As you read the
following, consider how each concept may apply to you.

Personality

Every
person has a unique personality. We have different likes, desires, dreams, and moods. We see ourselves and the
world in different ways and each of us hopes for something a little different
from life. One child may be content with the affection he receives from his
parents, while his sibling who receives the same attention feels a deficit and
requires more. Some children seem content to play by themselves, while others
who have many friends seem to need even more.

Many men with same-sex attractions have a heightened sense of emotional
sensitivity which can make them vulnerable to emotional hurt when their high
expectations are not met. Since we all have different needs and perspectives on
life, it is easy to see why two people in the same situation will react
differently. For one person, a negative situation may be manageable, while for
another it is a devastating crisis.

Biology

Some scientists have intently tried to discover scientific proof that
same-sex attraction is genetic. Some studies
hint at a biological component, but have not proven that same-sex attraction is
simply an inborn or biologically-determined characteristic.

Biology may play some small role in
influencing behavior or feelings. Some people seem susceptible to particular
actions and may be drawn toward them or become addicted to them more easily than
other people. (Oaks, p. 9) One person may be able to dabble with gambling, while
another becomes a compulsive gambler. Some may drink only socially, while others
have an unusual attraction to alcohol. Studies indicate that genetics may be a
factor in susceptibilities to some behavior-related disorders, such as
aggression, obesity, or alcoholism. Likewise, there are theories that claim
biological predispositions influence the development of homosexual attractions
when other life experiences are also present. (Friedman
and Downey, p. 149)

Beyond such predispositions, some scientists search for more direct genetic
causes—a gene or chromosome that actually determines sexual orientation. (Friedman
and Downey, p. 149)
None of these studies has shown any direct genetic cause of homosexuality. For more information on these specific studies, see
biological causes of same-sex
attraction.

Regardless of the role that genetics play in the development of sexual
attractions, people who experience these attractions can make conscious choices
about their behaviors. Although
researchers have found a certain gene
present in 77% of the alcoholic patients (Dallas, 1992, pp.
20–23), we know that alcoholics can control their behavior and lead productive
lives. You have control over your destiny. You have moral agency and can
determine the course of your life.

Developmental experiences

Professionals agree that environment influences a child in significant ways.
Your family, friends, society, and experiences influence how you feel, how you
view life, and how you act. Dr. William Consiglio refers to this myriad of
social and psychological factors as a "conspiracy of factors," meaning that many
factors "conspired" or came together in the right amounts at the right time to
divert sexual desires in you as a developing child toward other children. (Consiglio,
p. 59)
Some of these factors include your relationship with your family and peers, your
ability to identify with masculinity or femininity, the degree to which your emotional needs
are fulfilled, your feelings of self-worth, and early sexual experiences. Read
more about these
developmental factors.

Many boys become aware of their same-sex attractions at an early age
(sometimes before age five). The most important formative years for the
development of sexual feelings and attitudes are during late infancy and before
the onset of puberty, and not during puberty and adolescence. Dr. John Money
explained, "The hormones of puberty activate what has already formed and is
awaiting activation." (Money, p. 124) Your development of heterosexual
interests would have proceeded instinctively if emotional maturity has not been
obstructed by issues such as those just discussed. Dr. William Consiglio
explains that "homosexuality is not an alternative sexuality or sexual orientation, but an
emotional disorientation caused by arrested or blocked emotional development in
the stream of heterosexuality. (Consiglio, 1991, p. 22) But the good news is that the
condition is correctable. When these blockages are "successfully reduced,
diminished, or removed, human sexuality can resume its natural heterosexual flow..."
(Consiglio, 1991, p. 22) Your same-sex urges are
not unrealistic or rebellious. It is not a fear of, or a flight from,
heterosexuality. It is actually an unconscious attempt to fill your normal
emotional needs and when these needs begin to be filled, you can begin again
progressing toward full heterosexual maturation. (Moberly,
chapter 2)

Summary

Personality, genetics, and developmental experiences all have a place in
influencing the development of homosexual attractions. Drs. Byne and Parsons at
Columbia University believe it is important to "appreciate the complexities of
sexual orientation and resist the urge to search for simplistic explanations,
either psychosocial or biologic." (Byne and Parsons,
pp. 236–37) They emphasize that in addition
to the influences of genetics or the environment, the individual plays an
important role in determining his or her identity.

Dr. John Money stated, "Many wrongly assume that whatever is biological
cannot be changed, and whatever mental can be. Both propositions are in error.
Homosexuality is always biological and always mental, both together. It is
mental because it exists in the mind. It is biological because the mind exists
in the brain. The sexual brain through its extended nervous system communicates
back and forth with the sex organs." (Money, p.
123)

Our character is the net result of our choices and life experience. An
article in Harvest News stated, "Some of us are shy, some anxious, some
have problems with anger or chemical dependence, some of us fear commitment. Did
we ‘choose’ any of these things? Actually, all of our adult personality
is the result of a complex interplay of heredity and family environment with
thousands of small personal decisions dating back as far as we can remember. The
results are deeply entrenched ways of feeling, thinking, acting." (Harvest
News, p. 3)
Although you may have had no control over the emergence of same-sex
attractions, you can choose how to respond to them.

Dallin H. Oaks has said that "some kinds of feelings seem to be inborn.
Others are traceable to mortal experiences. Still other feelings seem to be
acquired from a complex interaction of ‘nature and nurture.’ All of us have some
feelings we did not choose, but the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that we
still have the power to resist and reform our feelings (as needed) and to assure
that they do not lead us to entertain inappropriate thoughts or to engage in
sinful behavior." (Oaks, p. 10)

For further reading

Stolen Childhood: What You Need to Know About Sexual Abuse by Alice
Huskey.

The Innate-Immutable Argument Finds No Basis in Science: In
Their Own Words: Gay Activists Speak About Science, Morality, Philosophy by A. Dean Byrd, Ph.D.; Shirley E. Cox, Ph.D.;
and Jeffrey W. Robinson, Ph.D. Scientific attempts to demonstrate that homosexual
attraction is purely biologically determined have failed. The major
researchers now prominent in the scientific arena–themselves gay
activists–have in fact arrived at such conclusions.